The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-05-04
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD
Raising Chickens Naturally-Food and Care
Of Brood Mares.
Farm Yard nIanure-Breeds of PIgs-Pro-
tecting the Grape Crop-Recipes-
Household Hints-Farm Notes.
Raising Chickens Naturally.
Henry Hales in Rural New Yorker. I

Henry Hates IN Rural New Yorker.
Or all the work connected with poultry,
none is more troublesome or tedious than
the looking after sitting hens aud their
nests while incubatiDg. If the hens are
allowed to sit in the poultry-house where
they laid, and where other hens are laying,
a great many vsxatious annoyances occur.
Two hens will sometimes fight for one nest
and so break some of the eggs, or the sitting
hen goes of, and on returning finds the
nest occupied by an intruder. This state OF
affairs is fully set forth by persons who
strongly recommend incubators; but as
every farmer has not time to attend to an
incubator, / will give little of my own
experience in raising chickens by the
natural method, aided by a plan which
most farmers can follow.
l have q small building divided by a
wire partition into two parts, with door
from one to the other, and small yard
made with wire netting also divided.
have a slide from each compartment into
each yard. The size of the house will de-
pend on the number of chickens desired.
Two rooms Axe feet with yards twice that
size, viii be large enough for fourteen hens
to sit in, and ii these sit twice it will be
equal 10 hfty-six sitting hens. In most
cases the houses may be used & third time,
raising several hundred chicks.
When my hens get oroody 1 set lot to-
getheT in one house, using small shallow
boxes lOE ueSLS-uOL over SloY6u VI bWelg6
inches squaTe-s0 that two hens can not
crowd into one nest. 1 set these on the
floor all around the sides and few inches
apart so that a greedy hen can not reach
the eggs from the next nest, as such hens
are very apt to break the tenth command
ment. l leave water and food in the house,
so that the hens can eat or drink at any
time when they come of the nests.
There are no perches in the houses or
anything they can get on above the nests.
A dust box sunk level with the floor, with
sand and ashes and with little carb0late
of lime or carbOlic acid sprinkled in from
time to time, placed where the sun shines
on il through the windows on clear days,
will keep the hens clear of parasites. 4
little sod or grass in the yards is good for
their health. L don't have trouble once in
fifty times IN removing sitting hen. l let
her sit few days in the nest she has been
laying in, to see that she is in earnest; then
remove her one evening TO the sitting
house, place her nest on the floor as aboVe),
and II a number of others can be removed
at the same time, 50 much the better. Then
hang something up over the window to
shade the light little. This may remain
for few days until one learns that all
means business, and as soon as they settle
down the shade should be removed, and
the slides into the yards may be left open
that hens may get fresh air whenever they
please.
The advantages OF this system may be cas-
lily seen by those who have had TO spend a
large portion Of their valuable time in
spring watching the sitting hens or
lifting them of SnG driv ing them pack to
their nests every day. As many as possible
should be set az or about the same time
few days are not of much consequence
so that IL the hens change nests it would
be of no importance. and if there are no
more nests than hens and the nests are a
little way from each other, 50 that the hens
can not quarrel, things will go on very
smoothly, and much loss Of time and Vexa
tiOn will be avoided.
The second batch OF sitting hens should
be set in the next compartment SO thai
they all come out together in the same way
as the first. The house should be well
ventilated every day and never be tightly
closed. As the hens hatch they should be
removed with the chicks to their coop:
where it is intended to raise them.
The outlay of money for such a building
to those who raise any number of chickens
is trihing compared wi b the outlay of time
required by the old-fashioned way, and
much is saved, as the hens do not break 50
many eggs. OF course, the nests should bt
looked to and kept clean, but if a little sui
phur be sprinkled in them, or, what is bet
ter, some tobacco stems be used with the
straw in making them up, few will be trou
bled with vermin. The hens should b.
lifted off at times if they do not get off o
their own accord 10 see that no broken egg
foul the nests. If only q few chickens ar
wanted, place 4x8 feet, with a low roo
and door opening outward in each room
II divided, Will answer well.